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EPRINT  AND  CIRCULAR  SERIES 

OF  THE 

NATIONAL  RESEARCH 
COUNCIL 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE 
AND  RESEARCH 

By  GEORGE  ELLERY  HALE 

Director,  Mount  Wilson  Observatory,  Carnegie  Institution 
of  Washington,  Pasadena,  California 


B 


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Reprinted  by  permission  from  Scribner's  Magazine  for  November. 
Copyright,  1922,  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


Announcement  Concerning  Publications 

of  the 

National  Research  Council 


The  Proceedings  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences 

is  partly  supported  by  the  National  Research  Council  which  is  represented 
officially  on  its  Editorial  Board  and  Executive  Committee.  It  is  open  for 
the  publication  of  papers  to  members  of  the  National  Research  Council  on 
the  same  terms  as  to  members  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences. 

Subscription  rate  for  the  "Proceedings"  is  $5  per  year.  Business 
address:  Home  Secretary,  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  Smithsonian 
Institution,  Washington,  D.  C. 


The  Bulletin  of  the  National  Research  Council 

presents  contributions  from  the  National  Research  Council,  other  than  pro- 
ceedings, for  which  hitherto  no  appropriate  agencies  of  publication  have 
existed. 

The  "Bulletin"  is  published  at  irregular  intervals.  The  subscription 
price,  postpaid,  is  $5  per  volume  of  approximately  500  pages.  Numbers 
of  the  "Bulletin"  are  sold  separately  at  prices  based  upon  the  cost  of 
manufacture. 


The  Reprint  and  Circular  Series  of  the  National  Research 

Council 

renders  available  for  purchase,  at  prices  dependent  upon  the  cost  of 
manufacture,  papers  published  or  printed  by  or  for  the  National  Research 
Council. 

Orders  for  the  "Bulletin"  or  the  "Reprints  and  Circulars"  of  the 
National  Research  Council,  accompanied  by  remittance,  should  be  ad- 
dressed: Publication  Office,  National  Research  Council,  1701  Massachusetts 
Avenue,  Washington,  D.  C. 


(Reprint  from  Scribner's  Magazine,  November,  1922) 

A  National  Focus  of  Science 
and  Research 


BY  GEORGE  ELLERY  HALE 

Honorary  Chairman  of  the  National  Research  Council,  Author  of  "The  New  Heavens,"  etc. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  DRAWINGS  BY  THE  ARCHITECT  AND  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


HE  stately  plan  of  the 
city  of  Washington, 
conceived  by  L'En- 
fant  under  the  per- 
sonal inspiration  of 
Washington  himself, 
rescued  from  oblivion 
and  vastly  developed 
by  Burnham  and  his  associates,  is  rap- 
idly assuming  material  form.  The  ma- 
jor axis,  passing  from  the  dome  of  the 
Capitol  through  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment, now  terminates  admirably  in  the 
massive  Doric  temple  of  the  Lincoln 
Memorial,  which  overlooks  the  Potomac 
and  the  heights  of  Arlington.  Flanking  it 
on  its  left,  in  the  midst  of  a  spacious 
square  facing  the  Mall,  another  marble 
structure,  also  associated  in  its  origin 
with  the  Civil  War,  is  now  rising.  This 
is  to  be  the  home  of  the  National  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  and  the  National  Re- 
search Council,  organized  to  promote  the 
progress  of  science  and  research  for  the 
advancement  of  knowledge  and  the 
national  welfare.  In  this  centre  the 
latest  scientific  and  technical  advances 
of  the  whole  country  will  be  shown  in  a 
changing  exhibit,  and  investigators  will 
meet  to  report  new  results  and  to  con- 
sider the  interests  of  research. 

THE   NEW   BUILDING 

It  has  been  recognized  for  many  years 
that  the  full  possibilities  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences  could  not  be 
realized  without  the  aid  of  such  a  build- 
ing. Attempts  made  before  the  war  to 
secure  the  large  sum  required  for  con- 
struction and  endowment  were  not  suc- 
cessful, but  in  1919  a  gift  of  $5,000,000 
was  made  by  the  Carnegie  Corporation 
to  permit  the  erection  of  a  building  and 
to  provide  an  endowment  for  its  main- 
tenance and  operation  and  an  income  for 


the  work  of  the  Research  Council.  An 
entire  city  block,  with  a  frontage  of  53C 
feet  on  B  Street,  facing  the  Mall  near  the 
Lincoln  Memorial,  was  purchased  for  a 
site  at  a  cost  of  $185,000,  contributed  by 
friends  of  the  Academy  and  Council. 

Before  beginning  work  on  the  plans  of 
the  building,  the  general  purposes  in 
view  were  explained  to  the  Federal  Com- 
mission of  Fine  Arts  and  suggestions 
were  requested  regarding  architects. 
Bertram  Grosvenor  Goodhue,  of  New 
York,  recommended  informally  as  the 
first  choice  of  the  Commission,  was  ap- 
pointed architect,  and  much  time  and 
thought  were  devoted  to  the  design. 
The  attitude  of  this  architect  toward  his 
work  is  a  thoroughly  scientific  one,  in 
keeping  with  the  purposes  of  the  build- 
ing. The  general  architectural  scheme 
approved  by  the  Fine  Arts  Commission 
for  public  buildings  in  Washington  is 
classical,  and  the  proximity  of  the  Lin- 
coln Memorial,  a  Doric  temple,  rendered 
a  harmonious  treatment  imperative. 
But  while  retaining  the  simple  and  sym- 
metrical elements  of  classical  architec- 
ture, Mr.  Goodhue  preferred  not  to 
follow  the  common  practice  of  lining 
the  facade  with  a  row  of  detached  or 
engaged  columns,  supporting  nothing 
but  the  cornice,  and,  in  his  opinion, 
serving  chiefly  to  exclude  light  from  the 
windows.  The  construction  of  the  cen- 
tral hall,  which  carries  a  true  dome 
rather  than  an  imitation  one ;  the  use  of 
sound-absorbing  materials  to  assure 
good  acoustics ;  and  many  other  features 
of  the  building,  illustrate  the  way  in 
which  the  architect  has  accomplished 
his  task. 

The  main-floor  plan  is  shown  on  page 
520.  The  portion  of  the  building  facing 
B  Street.  250  feet  in  length,  will  ulti- 
mately form  one  side  of  a  hollow  square, 


516 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


the  other  three  sides  of  which  will  be 
added  when  more  space  is  needed.*  At 
the  centre  of  this  square  is  a  lofty  central 
hall  (page  525)  surmounted  by  a  low 
dome,  surrounded  by  a  group  of  seven 
exhibition  rooms  one  story  in  height, 
illuminated  by  skylights.  The  central 
hall  is  approached  by  the  public  (page 
523)  through  an  entrance  hall,  flanked 
by  large  library  and  lecture  rooms,  with 
reading  and  conference  rooms  at  the 
east  and  west  ends  of  the  building. 
The  second  and  third  floors  are  devoted 
to  offices  for  the  Academy  and  Research 
Council.  In  the  basement  are  a  large 
stack-room  under  the  library,  a  lunch- 
room and  kitchen  for  the  convenience  of 
those  at  work  in  the  building,  a  heating 
and  ventilating  plant,  janitor's  quarters, 
etc. 

The  sculptural  work  has  been  in- 
trusted to  the  well-known  sculptor,  Lee 
Lawrie,  who  has  admirably  seized  the 
spirit  of  the  undertaking  and  embodied 
it  in  his  designs.  The  windows  of  the 
facade,  which  overlook  a  wide  terrace 
and  command  a  superb  view  of  the 
Lincoln  Memorial  and  the  heights  of 
Arlington,  are  framed  in  bronze,  with 
large  bronze  tablets,  four  feet  by  nine 
feet  in  size,  between  the  first  and  second 
floors.  These  panels  will  depict  the 
leaders  of  science,  from  the  Greeks  to 
recent  times.  The  stone  pediment  of 
the  main  entrance,  the  bronze  lamps 
flanking  the  terrace  steps,  and  other 
sculptural  features  are  also  being  de- 
signed by  Mr.  Lawrie. 

The  central  hall,  though  ordinarily 
employed  for  exhibits,  can  be  quickly 
transformed  into  a  large  lecture-room, 
equipped  with  screen,  stereopticon,  mov- 
ing-picture apparatus,  etc.,  seating  550 
people  (with  the  three  balconies),  and 
serving  for  the  larger  public  meetings 
and  lectures  of  the  Academy  and  Coun- 
cil. The  smaller  lecture-hall,  seating 
200,  is  available  for  other  occasions,  and 
the  conference  and  committee  rooms  will 
be  in  daily  use  by  the  Research  Council. 


*  The  building  has  a  frontage  of  260  feet  and  a  maxi- 
mum depth  of  140  feet.  Its  height  above  the  first  floor  is 
60  feet.  The  dimensions  of  some  of  the  rooms  are  as 
follows:  vestibule,  11  by  20  feet;  entrance-hall,  21  by  36 
feet;  central  hall,  24  by  64  feet;  library,  36  by  64  feet; 
lecture-room,  34  by  50  feet.  The  exhibition  rooms  sur- 
rounding the  central  hall  range  in  size  from  14  by  26  feet 
to  21  by  34  feet.  The  total  available  floor  space,  exclusive 
of  elevator ;,  doorways,  and  hallways,  is  39,874  square  feet. 


The  library  will  contain  the  extensive 
collection  of  publications  received  from 
scientific  societies  at  home  and  abroad, 
together  with  the  reference  books  of  the 
Research  Information  Service.  As  a 
centre  for  the  many  activities  organized 
by  the  Academy  and  Research  Council 
the  new  building  will  bring  together 
scientific  investigators  from  all  parts  of 
the  world.  It  will  serve  admirably  for 
international  scientific  bodies  when 
meeting  in  the  United  States,  and  in  so 
far  as  may  prove  practicable  it  will  be 
rendered  available  for  meetings  of  the 
many  national  scientific  and  technical 
societies  represented  in  the  Research 
Council. 

A  MUSEUM  OF  DISCOVERY  AND  PROGRESS 

One  of  the  prime  purposes  of  the  riew 
building  is  to  serve  as  a  means  of  keeping 
the  public  in  touch  with  the  progress  of 
science  and  to  demonstrate  the  impor- 
tance of  research.  An  illustration  based 
on  recent  experience  will  show  how  this 
may  be  done.  Within  the  last  few 
months  an  extraordinary  outburst  of 
interest  in  wireless  telephony  has 
brought  radio  outfits  into  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  American  homes.  Most  of  the 
apparatus  employed  has  been  made  by 
amateurs,  who  have  contributed  many 
novel  and  useful  ideas  to  the  progress  of. 
the  art.  This  newly  awakened  enthu- 
siasm affords  a  unique  opportunity  to 
advance  the  interests  of  science  and 
research.  The  vast  majority  of  the 
radio  amateurs  are  attracted  chiefly  by 
the  novelty  of  the  subject,  the  pleasure 
of  receiving  messages  from  far-away 
sources,  and  the  opportunity  to  exercise 
the  mechanical  ingenuity  innate  in  so 
many  American  boys.  Few  realize  that 
wireless  communication  is  not  the  sole 
creation  of  Marconi  and  other  inventors, 
and  fewer  still  appreciate  the  nature  or 
importance  of  the  fundamental  re- 
searches of  the  physicists  who  made  it 
possible.  But  all  are  learning  of  elec- 
trical methods  and  devices,  and  better 
still,  those  who  make  their  own  appara- 
tus are  acquiring  some  of  the  pioneer 
spirit  and  the  self-reliance  that  form 
the  necessary  stock  in  trade  of  every 
original  investigator.  Here,  then,  is  a 
rare  opportunity  to  discover  and  develop 
latent  talent. 


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A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


One  of  the  exhibition-rooms  in  the  new 
building  will  contain  the  latest  forms  of 
radio  apparatus,  with  which  the  public 
can  receive  messages  from  the  most  dis- 
tant points,  and  amateurs  can  study 
methods  of  construction  and  installation. 
Wireless  telegraphy  and  telephony,  and 
long-distance  telephony  by  wire,  with 
loud-speaking  transmitters,  will  all  be 
demonstrated.  But  the  exhibit  will  not 
stop  at  this  point.  Taking  advantage  of 
the  amateur's  interest,  it  will  lead  him 
back  by  striking  illustrations  and  by  ac- 
tual experiments  to  the  laboratory  of 
Hertz,  who  detected  wireless  waves  by 
their  power  of  producing  sparks;  the 
earlier  demonstrations  of  Henry,  who  re- 
corded the  waves  sent  out  by  distant 
lightning  and  reproduced  them  experi- 
mentally; the  researches  of  Maxwell, 
who  first  conceived  of  waves  in  the  ether 
when  engaged  in  his  mathematical  inves- 
tigations on  the  electromagnetic  theory 
of  light;  the  pioneer  work  of  Faraday, 
who  visualized  lines  of  force,  and  con- 
ceived the  ether  as  a  medium  of  trans- 
mission. 

Hitherto  the  United  States,  has  pro- 
duced few  great  physicists.  Is  it  not 
probable  that  some  of  these  boys  will  be 
led  to  recognize  the  fundamental  im- 
portance of  science  and  to  see  with 
Carty,  Whitney,  and  other  leaders  of  in- 
dustry that  the  greatest  advances  arise, 
not  merely  from  the  direct  attempt  of 
the  inventor  to  solve  some  special  prob- 
lem, but  even  more  truly  from  the  pio- 
neer work  of  the  scientific  investigator, 
who  discovers  the  phenomena  and  for- 
mulates the  laws  that  underlie  and  rend- 
er possible  both  invention  and  industry  ? 
"You  can't  have  applied  science  unless 
you  have  science  to  apply,"  and  the  in- 
dustrial research  laboratories  now  move 
so  closely  in  the  wake  of. the  physicist 
and  chemist  that  the  scientific  discovery 
of  to-day  becomes  the  working  device  of 
to-morrow. 

An  excellent  illustration  of  this  is  af- 
forded by  the  recent  development  of  the 
audion  tube,  which  has  made  wireless 
telephony  possible.  No  better  means  of 
interesting  the  amateur  in  fundamental 
problems  of  physics  could  be  imagined. 
It  is  but  a  step  from  this  familiar  device 
of  the  radio  operator  to  the  brilliant  phe- 
nomena of  the  electric  discharge  that  led 


Crookes  to  detect  a  ' '  fourth  state  of  mat- 
ter" and  enabled  Thomson,  Rutherford, 
Millikan,  and  others  to  discover  and  iso- 
late the  electron  and  to  determine  the 
true  nature  of  matter  itself. 


Another  easy  transition,  helping  to 
broaden  the  student's  vision  by  showing 
him  the  interrelationship  of  the  various 
branches  of  science,  will  lead  him  from 
the  glowing  gases  of  vacuum  tubes  to  the 
phenomena  of  the  aurora  and  their  seat 
in  the  sun.  The  colored  and  pulsating 
striae  of  gases  at  low  pressure  are  pro- 
duced by  passing  through  them  a  stream 
of  electrons,  resulting  from  an  electric 
discharge.  In  the  same  way  the  gleam  of 
the  aurora  arises  from  the  bombardment 
of  the  earth's  upper  atmosphere  by  elec- 
trons shot  out  from  the  sun.  These  come 
to  us  continuously,  so  that  the  aurora, 
though  too  faint  to  be  seen  by  the  eye, 
can  be  detected  (in  Southern  California) 
by  the  spectroscope  on  any  night,  even 
through  clouds.  But  when  great  and 
active  sun-spots,  surrounded  by  violent 
eruptions,  are  near  the  centre  of  the  sun, 
the  rain  of  electrons  is  enormously  in- 
creased, and  the  aurora  is  brightened 
into  visibility.  The  electric  currents  in 
the  higher  atmosphere  are  accompanied 
by  earth  currents,  which  sometimes  be- 
come so  intense  that  they  interfere  with 
telegraphy  and  even  burn  out  ocean 
cables  (as  in  May,  1921).  A  recording 
magnetograph,  mounted  near  the  en- 
trance of  the  central  hall,  will  show  the 
spasmodic  fluctuations  in  the  intensity 
of  the  earth's  magnetism  that  accom- 
pany these  electric  storms,  and  the  visi- 
tor can  observe  the  source  of  the  elec- 
trons by  going  to  the  middle  of  the  hall, 
where  a  large  image  of  the  sun,  formed 
by  a  coelostat  telescope,  mounted  on  the 
dome  above,  may  be  seen  on  the  white 
surface  of  the  circular  drum  shown  on 
page  525.  The  sun-spot  responsible  for 
the  disturbance  will  be  plainly  visible, 
and  its  changes  in  form,  as  well  as  its 
shifting  position  on  the  disk  caused  by 
the  rotation  of  the  sun,  can  also  be  fol- 
lowed from  day  to  day. 

This  takes  us  to  the  sun,  which  exhib- 
its electrical  and  magnetic  phenomena 
on  a  colossal  scale  in  its  own  atmosphere. 
The  chemical  composition  of  this  atmos- 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


519 


phere  is  easily  shown  by  the  spectro- 
scope within  the  circular  drum  at  the 
centre  of  the  hall.  Light  from  the  solar 
image,  passing  through  a  narrow  slit  in 
the  upper  face  of  this  drum,  descends  to 
an  optical  grating  near  the  level  of  the 
basement  floor,  is  analyzed  into  its  con- 
stituent parts,  and  sent  back  in  the  form 
of  a  brilliant  spectrum.  By  looking  down 
through  an  eye-piece  near  the  sun's  im- 
age the  visitor  can  see  this  spectrum, 
crossed  by  the  numerous  dark  lines  that 


These  details  will  suffice  to  explain  the 
character  and  the  purpose  of  the  exhib- 
its. Current  phenomena  of  nature,  the 
apparatus  for  studying  them,  and  the 
means  by  which  fundamental  discoveries 
are  applied  for  the  public  welfare  will  all 
be  demonstrated  in  a  changing  exhibit, 
kept  constantly  up  to  date,  and  covering 
the  whole  range  of  the  physical  and  bi- 
ological sciences.  A  great  Foucault  pen- 
dulum, swinging  in  an  invariable  plane 
at  the  centre  of  the  hall,  will  illustrate 


General  view  of  the  new  building 

From  a  preliminary  sketch  by  the  architect 


characterize  the  chemical  elements  pres- 
ent in  the  vaporous  atmosphere  of  the 
sun.  Hundreds  of  these  lines  are  due  to 
iron,  easily  identified  by  touching  a  but- 
ton, which  starts  an  electric  arc,  vapor- 
izes its  iron  poles,  and  permits  the  result- 
ant light  to  descend  through  the  slit,  side 
by  side  with  the  light  of  the  sun.  The 
bright  lines  of  iron  in  the  arc,  coinciding 
exactly  with  the  dark  lines  of  iron  in  the 
sun,  may  then  be  seen  at  a  glance.  It  will 
also  be  possible  with  this  apparatus  to 
show  the  widening  or  splitting  of  certain 
lines  due  to  the  magnetic  fields  in  sun- 
spots,  which  are  caused  by  swarms  of 
electrified  particles  whirling  in  the  im- 
mense vortices  or  tornadoes  that  consti- 
tute the  spots. 


the  rotation  of  the  earth  turning  beneath 
it.  Two  small  lead  balls,  drawn  toward 
larger  balls  by  their  mutual  attraction, 
will  demonstrate  the  power  of  gravita- 
tion (the  Cavendish  experiment).  A 
Nichols  radiometer,  when  exposed  by  a 
visitor's  touch  to  a  bright  light,  will  dem- 
onstrate the  pressure  of  radiation,  so 
feeble  from  even  the  most  brilliant  ter- 
restrial sources,  but  so  intense  in  certain 
stars  that  it  tends  to  disintegrate  them. 
The  remarkable  phenomena  of  the  inter- 
ference of  light,  and  their  use  for  the 
most  minute  and  exact  measurements  of 
length  or  for  the  determination  of  the 
diameter  of  the  stars ;  the  beautiful  struc- 
ture and  colors  of  crystals  in  process  of 
formation,  shown  with  polarized  light; 


520 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


living  infusoria,  in  their  exquisite  vari- 
ety, swimming  in  a  drop  of  ditch-water; 
growing  colonies  of  bacteria;  the  phe- 
nomena of  cell  division  and  of  artificial 
parthenogenesis — these  are  further  ex- 
amples of  the  exhibits  in  the  central  hall. 
One  of  the  smaller  exhibits  rooms,  as 
already  remarked,  will  be  devoted  to 
wireless  communication.  Another  will  be 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  scientific 
and  technical  bureaus  of  the  govern- 
ment, which  will  show  in  sequence  the 


Research  Council  must  always  seek  to 
maintain  an  effective  balance  between 
fundamental  science  and  its  applications 
in  the  arts.  The  United  States  is  strong 
in  mechanical  skill  and  prolific  in  inven- 
tion .  It  must  become  equally  successful 
in  the  fundamental  sciences,  where  its 
progress  today  is  more  rapid  than  ever 
before.  Every  advance  in  this  direction 
will  be  returned  tenfold  in  the  industries, 
where  the  importance  of  research  is  fast 
gaining  recognition.  When  men  like 


•  "•"*• 

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Main-floor  plan  of  the  new  building  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences  and  National  Research 

Council 


results  of  their  latest  researches.  An- 
other will  be  used  to  illustrate  the  ad- 
vances made  in  industrial  research  lab- 
oratories. The  discoveries  and  progress 
of  physics,  chemistry,  astronomy,  zo- 
ology, botany,  and  other  branches  of 
the  physical  and  biological  sciences, 
and  of  medicine,  engineering,  and  agri- 
culture will  be  demonstrated  in  the 
remaining  rooms. 

SCIENCE    AND    INDUSTRY 

In  all  their  activities,  whether  in 
popularizing  science,  supplying  tech- 
nical information,  securing  co-operation 
among  investigators,  pointing  out  new 
possibilities  of  progress,  or  promoting 
the  development  of  American  indus- 
tries, the  National  Academy  and  the 


Elihu  Root,  Theodore  Vail,  and  Herbert 
Hoover  emphasize  the  fact  that  indus- 
trial development  and  national  progress 
depend  in  great  degree  upon  the  im- 
provement of  methods  and  the  increase 
of  output  by  research,  and  when  indus- 
trial corporations  spend  millions  annu- 
ally in  their  research  laboratories,  we 
may  be  sure  that  the  leaders  of  the  indus- 
tries that  still  apply  old  processes  will 
soon  awaken.  An  important  division  of 
the  Research  Council  devotes  its  whole 
attention  to  this  problem,  demonstrating 
by  examples  drawn  from  the  practice  of 
leading  industries  that  no  expenditure  is 
more  profitable  than  that  which  is  made 
for  research .  When  this  is  generally  ap- 
preciated, and  when  all  of  our  great  cor- 
porations realize  that  they  can  cheapen 


Main  entrance  of  the  new  building 
From  a  preliminary  sketch  by  the  architect 


and  improve  their  products  by  research, 
a  reciprocal  advantage  to  fundamental 
science  will  follow.  Conscious  of  their 
debt  to  its  teachings,  and  of  their  never- 
ceasing  need  for  new  knowledge,  the  in- 
dustries will  provide  for  its  support  by 
adding  liberally  to  the  endowment  of 
research  laboratories.  Educational  in- 
stitutions, where  the  need  for  funds  is 
greatest,  have  already  begun  to  feel  the 
benefit  of  such  support,  and  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  the  contributions  of  the  indus- 


tries will  multiply  as  they  prosper  in  the 
light  of  scientific  knowledge. 

ASPECTS   OF   SCIENCE 

To  appreciate  the  possibilities  of  the 
many  activities  that  will  focus  in  this 
building,  and  to  realize  their  significance 
to  human  progress,  we  must  briefly  sur- 
vey the  wide  field  of  science  and  discern 
its  true  place  in  any  intelligent  scheme 
of  national  development. 

Science,  dimly  discerned  among  the 

521 


522 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


mists  of  antiquity  by  the  Chaldeans  and 
Egyptians,  was  first  clearly  recognized 
by  the  keen  vision  of  the  Greeks,  only 
to  be  lost  again  in  mediaeval  obscurity. 
Recovered  after  many  centuries  and  in- 
creasingly appreciated  as  the  chief  factor 
in  the  development  of  the  modern  world, 
science  is  now  held  at  its  true  value  by  all 
fully  enlightened  men.  Those  who  have 
learned  from  study  and  research,  or  per- 
haps as  the  result  of  industrial  experi- 
ence, know  science  as  the  one  sure  guide 
to  the  discovery  of  truth  and  as  the 
strongest  ally  of  mankind.  Others,  who 
have  glimpsed  only  one  of  its  aspects, 
see  science  as  the  cold  embodiment  of 
reason,  devoid  of  the  beauties  of  the 
imagination  that  exist  for  them  only  in 
literature  and  art.  Those  who  recog- 
nize most  clearly  its  material  services  to 
the  world  think  of  science  as  the  naviga- 
tor of  the  seas,  the  bearer  of  man's  voice 
on  the  ether,  the  mother  of  industry.  To 
some,  who  have  seen  science  disfigured 
by  the  violence  of  the  invader,  its  image 
has  been  distorted  into  a  fearful  shape 
of  pestilence  and  fire.  And,  unfortu- 
nately, there  are  others,  from  the  in- 
quisitors who  burned  Giordano  Bruno 
and  imprisoned  Galileo  to  their  modern 
counterparts,  who  regard  science  as  the 
enemy  of  their  particular  creeds,  and 
would  penalize  the  teacher  of  evolution 
and  the  student  of  the  origin  of  man. 

But  whatever  be  one's  viewpoint,  he 
must  be  blind  indeed  if  he  fails  to  recog- 
nize the  services  of  science  to  civiliza- 
tion. Man  was  once  in  abject  fear  of 
nature,  and  in  his  superstitious  igno- 
rance deified  the  wind  and  the  thunder, 
and  peopled  the  air  with  evil  spirits, 
whom  he  propitiated  by  sacrifice.  To- 
day, taught  by  science,  he  analyzes  the 
lightning,  traces  its  origin  in  the  rain- 
drops, and  utilizes  its  essence  in  the 
industrial  arts.  He  navigates  the  air  in 
the  face  of  furious  gales,  and  dissipates 
its  dreaded  mysteries  by  the  light  of 
new  knowledge.  Instead  of  fearing 
nature,  he  now  subdues  her  to  serve 
his  needs.  The  range  of  his  perception 
has  spread  from  a  little  area  centering 
in  Greece,  surrounded  by  untracked 
lands  and  seas,  to  the  depths  of  a  uni- 
verse in  which  he  watches  the  birth, 
growth,  and  decay  of  worlds  incom- 
parably greater  than  his  own.  He  looks 


back  into  the  remete  history  of  the 
earth,  observes  it  in  its  early  stages  of 
development  from  the  ancestral  sun, 
and  watches  the  ebb  and  flow  of  prime- 
val seas,  the  growth  and  emergence  of 
continents,  the  descent  and  recession  of 
the  polar  ice,  the  slow  fashioning  by  fire 
and  wind  and  stream  of  our  present 
home.  He  finds  in  the  lowest  beds  of 
stratified  rocks  the  simple  forms  of 
early  life,  traces  the  rise  of  animals  and 
plants  through  successive  strata  laid 
down  during  millions  of  years,  detects 
the  first  signs  of  the  appearance  of  man, 
and  follows  his  ascent  as  his  intelligence 
slowly  ripens  and  at  last  subdues  the 
earth.  He  sees  him  at  first  rudely 
fashioning  flint  implements,  and  per- 
ceives his  advance  from  the  stage  of 
simplest  invention  to  the  discovery  of 
natural  laws  which  permit  him  to  satisfy 
not  merely  his  obvious  needs,  but  to 
attain  results  which,  without  science, 
could  not  be  even  conceived.  Manifold 
increase  in  the  production  of  the  soil, 
the  rapid  conquest  of  disease  and  the 
lengthening  of  human  life,  the  creation 
and  development  of  industries  and  the 
reduction  in  cost  of  daily  necessities,  all 
these  and  much  more  we  owe  to  science, 
whose  work  for  humanity  has  only  just 
begun. 

But  it  is  not  only  in  the  material 
world  that  science  is  useful  to  mankind. 
Its  greatest  aim  and  object  is  the  dis- 
covery of  the  truth,  which  it  pursues 
without  fear  of  embarrassing  conse- 
quences. Science  sets  before  us  a  high 
example  of  honest  judgment  and  an 
open  mind,  reversing  its  conclusions 
without  hesitation  when  new  evidence 
demands.  And  as  it  builds  up  through 
the  centuries,  by  long  and  painful 
search,  a  great  body  of  knowledge  for 
universal  benefit  it  spreads  before  the 
imagination  a  picture  which  no  artist 
could  hope  to  rival.  Science  does  not 
seek  a  formula  with  which  to  reproduce 
the  sculpture  of  Praxiteles  or  Rodin,  the 
paintings  of  Rembrandt  or  Turner,  the 
poetry  of  Homer  or  Keats .  It  recognizes 
here,  as  it  does  in  true  religion,  a  domain 
beyond  its  own.  But  its  appeal  is  to  the 
imagination  as  well  as  to  the  reason. 
The  painter,  with  common  pigments  and 
bristle  brushes,  creates  on  canvas  a 
great  portrait  or  landscape.  The  archi- 


The  entrance  hall 

From  a  preliminary  sketch  by  the  architect 


tect,  with  blocks  of  primeval  mud  hard- 
ened into  rock  beneath  an  extinct  ocean, 
builds  a  great  cathedral  which  stirs  us 
by  its  majesty.  Science,  revealing  with 
its  instruments  of  metal  and  glass  the 
widest  sweep"  of  nature,  inspires  the 
imagination  by  vistas  of  the  stellar 
universe,  the  exquisite  life  of  the  micro- 
scopic world,  the  successive  stages  in 
the  evolution  of  the  earth  and  of  man. 
No  material  service  of  science  to  daily 
life,  such  as  the  accurate  marking  of 
time  or  the  navigation  of  the  seas,  can 
compare  in  value  with  its  overthrow  of 
earth-centred  mediaevalism  and  its  rev- 
elation of  the  universe.  The  enlarged 
conception  of  human  possibilities  thus 
afforded,  the  escape  thus  effected  from 
the  dominance  of  enforced  and  arbitrary 
thought,  are  reflected  in  the  advance  of 
the  modern  world.  And  the  sweeping 
picture  that  science  spreads  before  us  is 


unmatched  in  its  appeal  to  the  imagina- 
tion and  its  stimulus  to  progress. 

THE    ORGANIZATION    OF    SCIENCE    AND 
RESEARCH 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that 
from  very  early  times  men  have  met  to 
discuss  the  problems  of  science  and  to 
improve  their  means  of  research.  The 
Academy  of  Plato  and  the  great  School 
of  Alexandria  are  striking  examples  of 
such  associations  of  scholars  in  the  best 
days  of  Greek  civilization.  In  the 
darkness  of  the  succeeding  centuries  we 
find  the  Arabs  pursuing  their  astronomi- 
cal, mathematical,  and  chemical  studies 
in  Bagdad,  Cairo,  and  Spain,  but  in 
most  of  Europe  stagnation  prevailed 
until  Galileo  brilliantly  demonstrated 
the  theory  of  Copernicus  and  forced 
the  earth  from  its  traditional  place  at 
the  centre  of  the  solar  system.  From 

523 


524 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


that  time  forward  academies  of  science 
were  formed  in  rapid  succession,  notably 
the  Accademia  dei  Lincei  in  Italy,  the 
Acade'mie  des  Sciences  in  France,  and 
the  Royal  Society  in  England.  In  this 
country  the  American  Philosophical 
Society,  established  in  Philadelphia 
through  the  initiative  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  did  much  to  promote  the 


and  the  isolated  worker,  his  whole  heart 
and  soul  locked  within  a  closely  bound 
field,  fails  to  see  clearly  the  vast  territory 
lying  beyond  his  own.  What  is  needed 
is  the  development  of  men  capable  of 
intense  specialization,  conducted  in  the 
light  of  a  broad  appreciation  of  the 
major  problems  of  science .  The  special- 
ist is  often  in  danger  of  becoming 


The  reading-room 

From  a  preliminary  sketch  by  the  architect 


increase  and  diffusion  of  knowledge.  The 
American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science  began  its  important 
work  in  1848,  and  the  Congressional 
charter  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Sciences  was  signed  by  Abraham  Lincoln 
in  1863. 

The  purpose  of  the  National  Academy 
differs  materially  from  that  of  the  vast 
number  of  special  societies  that  have 
advanced  science  by  the  encouragement 
of  specialization.  Without  them,  it  is 
true,  science  could  never  have  reached 
its  present  high  development,  as  its 
immense  range  renders  concentration 
on  particular  problems  essential.  But 
in  the  very  nature  of  the  case  such  con- 
centration develops  narrowness  of  view, 


dependent  upon  a  single  instrument  or 
a  narrow  range  of  methods;  he  should 
be  brought  into  touch  with  the  great 
variety  of  instruments  and  methods 
devised  by  workers  in  other  fields,  for 
in  scores  of  cases  they  are  directly  appli- 
cable in  his  own.  Take,  for  example, 
the  case  of  astrophysics,  which  began 
with  the  study  of  the  physical  phe- 
nomena of  the  sun,  moon,  and  planets 
by  simple  telescopic  observation.  The 
introduction  of  photography,  and  the 
use  of  the  spectroscope,  bolometer, 
thermopile,  radiometer,  several  forms 
of  interferometer,  the  photo-electric  cell, 
and  scores  of  other  instruments  bor- 
rowed from  the  physicist  have  com- 
pletely transformed  the  science  and 


The  central  hall,  showing  the  Foucault  pendulum  and  the  circular  drum  on  which  the  solar 
image  is  projected  by  the  ccelostat  telescope  on  the  dome  above 

From  a  preliminary  sketch  by  the  architect 


advanced  it  by  leaps  and  bounds.  So 
with  physical  chemistry,  physiology,  and 
psychology,  all  of  which  have  profited  in 
high  degree  by  drawing  from  the  inex- 
haustible store  of  physical  instruments 
and  methods.  The  development  of  ex- 
perimental medicine  is  another  case  in 
point.  But  while  progressive  men  in 
these  and  many  other  fields  have  bor- 


rowed freely,  and  advanced  their  sub- 
jects in  like  proportion,  the  possibilities 
of  such  modes  of  progress  are  as  yet  but 
little  realized.  A  body  of  leading 
investigators,  covering  all  branches  of 
science  and  vigorously  exchanging  ideas, 
is  alone  competent  to  appreciate  and 
profit  by  them. 

Another  illustration  will   show  in  a 

525 


526 


different  manner  why  such  a  body  is 
needed.  Consider  the  physicist,  study- 
ing the  great  problem  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  matter.  His  present  era  of 
unprecedented  progress,  foreshadowed 
by  Crookes's  discovery  of  "a  fourth 
state  of  matter"  in  vacuum  tubes, 
suddenly  dawned  with  the  advent  of 
X-rays  and  radioactive  substances.  To- 
day the  structure  of  the  atom  is  rapidly 
becoming  evident;  the  constitution  of 
the  elements,  by  the  progressive  addi- 
tion of  units  of  positive  and  negative 
electricity,  is  partly  understood;  and 
the  decomposition  of  some  of  them  has 
been  accomplished.  But  much  is  yet 
to  be  learned,  and  this  can  best  be  done 
by  the  intimate  collaboration  of  physi- 
cists, chemists,  and  astrophysicists,  who 
deal  with  matter  in  diverse  forms, 
observed  under  widely  different  con- 
ditions. The  enormous  temperatures 
of  the  stars,  the  disintegrating  effects  of 
radiation  pressures  greatly  transcending 
those  observed  on  earth,  the  influence  of 
great  solar  magnetic  fields,  and  the 
extraordinary  power  of  stellar  gravita- 
tion offer  to  the  physicist  and  chemist 
the  means  of  trying  experiments  beyond 
the  range  of  laboratory  possibilities. 
Here,  again,  a  great  academy,  bringing 
such  men  together  and  presenting  their 
results  from  a  common  forum,  can 
accomplish  what  no  special  society  can 
attain. 

But  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  illustrate 
further  when  the  opportunity  before 
such  a  comprehensive  body  is  so  obvious. 
To  maintain,  as  some  still  do,  that  an 
organization  like  this  is  merely  a 
survival,  not  needed  today  because  of 
the  success  'of  the  special  societies,  is 
merely  to  betray  a  narrowness  of  view 
that  calls  for  no  comment.  The  great- 
est progress  of  the  future  will  come  from 
men  of  broad  vision,  who  will  appreciate 
and  profit  by  participation  in  an 
academy  where  members  of  widely 
different  experience  and  knowledge  unite 
to  advance  science  in  its  larger  aspects. 

THE     NATIONAL    ACADEMY    OF     SCIENCES 

One  of  the  most  striking  pen  portraits 
of  President  Lincoln  that  we  possess 
depicts  him  on  the  great  tower  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  which  he  as- 
cended night  after  night  with  Joseph 


Henry,  first  secretary  of  the  Institution 
and  charter  member  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences.  From  this  van- 
tage-point lights  were  flashed  to  distant 
stations,  in  connection  with  tests  of  new 
methods  of  signalling.  It  was  in  such 
researches  for  military  purposes  that 
the  Academy  had  its  origin. 

The  period  of  these  experiments  was 
an  anxious  one.  Many  months  of  war, 
marked  by  serious  and  unexpected  re- 
verses, had  left  small  room  for  overcon- 
fidence,  and  taught  the  necessity  of 
utilizing  every  promising  means  of 
strengthening  the  Northern  arms.  With 
one  or  two  notable  exceptions,  the  great 
scientific  bureaus  of  the  government, 
now  so  powerful,  had  not  come  into 
existence.  But  the  country  was  not 
without  its  leaders  "  of  science  and 
engineering,  both  within  and  without 
the  government  circle.  Davis,  fighting 
admiral,  chief  of  the  bureau  of  naviga- 
tion, founder  of  the  Nautical  Almanac; 
Bache,  superintendent  of  the  Coast 
Survey,  designer  of  the  defenses  of 
Philadelphia;  and  Joseph  Henry,  of 
whom  we  have  already  spoken,  clearly 
recognized  the  need  of  a  national 
organization,  embracing  the  whole  range 
of  science,  to  advise  the  government  on 
questions  of  science  and  art.  Joining 
with  them  Louis  Agassiz,  the  great 
naturalist;  Benjamin  Pierce,  mathe- 
matician and  astronomer;  and  B.  A. 
Gould,  founder  of  the  Observatory  of 
the  Argentine  Republic,  they  planned 
the  National  Academy  of  Sciences.  A 
bill  to  incorporate  the  Academy  was 
introduced  in  the  Senate  by  Senator 
Wilson  of  Massachusetts  on  February 
21,  1863.  It  passed  the  Senate  and 
the  House,  and  was  signed  by  President 
Lincoln  on  March  3.  This  bill,  which 
was  subsequently  amended  to  remove 
the  limitation  of  membership,  and  to 
permit  the  Academy  to  receive  bequests, 
named  fifty  charter  members,  conferred 
powers  of  organization,  the  election  of 
members,  and  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness, and  provided  that  "the  Academy 
shall,  whenever  called  upon  by  any  de- 
partment of  the  Government,  investi- 
gate, examine,  experiment,  and  report 
upon  any  subject  of  science  or  art..  ..." 
As  the  adviser  of  the  government  on 
questions  of  science  the  Academy  was 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


527 


immediately  called  upon  by  the  War  and 
Navy  Departments  to  report  on  various 
problems  connected  with  the  Civil  War. 
The  Academy  thus  assisted  in  the  na- 
tional defense  just  as  the  Paris  Academy 
of  Sciences  aided  in  resisting  invasion 
and  stamping  out  civil  war  after  the 
French  Revolution. 

But  it  is  only  in  great  emergencies  that 
such  a  body  is  justified  in  turning  aside 
from  its  real  task  of  advancing  knowl- 
edge and  benefiting  industry.  Thus,  the 
Civil  War  ended,  the  Academy  assumed 
with  relief  its  normal  duties.  These  were 
numerous  and  pressing,  for  science  in 
this  country  was  in  great  need  of  de- 
velopment. In  1831  de  Tocqueville  had 
seen  but  little  evidence  of  the  progress  of 
science  in  the  United  States,  and  even  in 
1873  Tyndall  recognized  few  important 
accomplishments .  B  ut  under  the  active 
leadership  of  Academy  members  the  way 
was  preparing  for  the  rapid  advances  of 
later  years. 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
the  charter,  the  government  continued  to 
call  upon  the  Academy  for  advice  on  a 
great  variety  of  problems.  During  the 
following  years  reports  were  submitted 
on  such  questions  as  the  transit  of  Venus, 
instructions  for  the  Polaris  expedition, 
surveys  of  the  Territories,  electrical 
units,  the  conduct  of  scientific  work 
under  the  government,  the  protection  of 
coal  mines  from  explosion,  the  erection 
of  a  new  naval  observatory,  the  inaugu- 
ration of  a  national  forest  policy,  scien- 
tific explorations  of  the  Philippines,  and 
scores  of  other  problems.  Some  of  these 
requests  for  advice  were  submitted  by 
the  President, others  by  acts  of  Congress, 
joint  commissions  of  Congress,  and  the 
various  departments  of  the  government. 
Some  of  the  information  thus  supplied 
by  the  Academy  can  now  be  obtained 
from  the  numerous  scientific  bureaus  and 
national  laboratories  of  the  government. 
But  it  still  remains  true  that  questions  of 
broad  scope,  especially  those  requiring 
the  co-operation  of  scientific  authorities 
representing  several  fields  of  knowledge, 
can  be  best  dealt  with  by  such  an  inde- 
pendent and  unbiassed  body  as  the  Na- 
tional Academy.  An  illustration  of  this 
is  afforded  by  the  organization  of  the 
National  Research  Council. 


THE    NATIONAL   RESEARCH    COUNCIL 

The  sinking  of  the  Lusitania  in  1915 
destroyed  all  possible  doubt  of  Ger- 
many's intention  to  wage  a  ruthless  war 
regardless  of  the  United  States.  Action 
by  the  Academy  was  at  once  considered, 
but  no  favorable  opportunity  occurred 
until  April,  1916,  after  the  wanton  at- 
tack on  the  Sussex.  The  President  im- 
mediately accepted  the  Academy's  offer 
of  service,  and  requested  it  to  organize 
the  scientific  agencies  of  the  United 
States  in  the  interest  of  the  national  de- 
fense, but  with  the  ultimate  object  of 
advancing  scientific  and  industrial  prog- 
ress. 

The  National  Research  Council,  rest- 
ing legally  on  the  Academy's  congres- 
sional charter,  and  comprising  in  its 
membership  the  chiefs  of  the  technical 
bureaus  of  the  Army  and  Navy  and 
other  scientific  bureaus  of  the  govern- 
ment, representatives  of  educational  in- 
stitutions and  research  foundations,  and 
representatives  of  industrial  and  engi- 
neering research,  was  accordingly  consti- 
tuted by  the  Academy  with  the  active 
co-operation  of  the  principal  national 
scientific  and  engineering  societies.  The 
prominent  part  played  by  the  Engineer- 
ing Foundation,  which  devoted  its  entire 
income  toward  the  expense  of-  organiza- 
tion, gave  the  services  of  its  secretary, 
and  provided  a  New  York  office  for  the 
Research  Council,  is  a  noteworthy  illus- 
tration of  the  cordial  support  given  by 
the  engineers. 

The  Research  Council  was  organized 
on  September  20,  1916,  and  immediately 
took  up  its  duties.  It  was  accordingly 
well  under  way  when  the  United  States 
entered  the  war  in  the  following  April, 
and  thus  lost  no  time  in  getting  into  ac- 
tion. Its  chairman  had  learned  some- 
thing of  the  war  services  of  the  British 
and  French  men  of  science  while  in 
Europe  in  the  summer  of  1916,  and  its 
committee  to  secure  active  co-operation 
with  them  was  one  of  the  first  American 
agencies  sent  abroad  after  our  declara- 
tion of  war.  Subsequently  Scientific 
Attaches,  selected  by  the  Research 
Council  and  accredited  by  the  State  De- 
partment to  our  embassies  in  London, 
Paris,  and  Rome,  provided  the  necessary 
means  of  keeping  our  activities  in  close 


528 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


touch  with  those  of  our  allies.  With  the 
aid  of  scientific  investigators  and  naval 
officers  reciprocally  sent  to  our  Washing- 
ton headquarters  by  Great  Britain, 
France,  and  Italy  an  extensive  study  of 
the  problem  of  locating  submerged  sub- 
marines was  organized  in  co-operation 
with  the  navy,  and  rapid  progress  was 
soon  made  in  devising  and  perfecting 
new  devices  for  this  purpose.  Hundreds 
of  other  problems  were  also  successfully 
attacked  in  co-operation  with  the  War 
and  Navy  Departments.  These  are  far 
too  numerous  for  mention  here,  as  may 
be  seen  by  referring  to  the  third  annual 
report  of  the  National  Research  Council, 
where  the  war  activities  of  its  various 
divisions  are  briefly  outlined.  A  note- 
worthy service  was  the  initiation  in  the 
army  of  the  extensive  series  of  psycho- 
logical tests,  actually  applied  to  some 
1,700,000  men  and  since  the  war  widely 
adopted  for  college  entrance  examina- 
tions and  in  the  selection  of  men  by  the 
industries.  This  illustrates  how  work 
undertaken  to  meet  war  needs  can  be 
utilized  in  times  of  peace. 

PEACE    SERVICES    OF   THE    NATIONAL 
RESEARCH    COUNCIL 

An  executive  order  issued  by  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  on  May  11, 
1918,  after  stating  that  the  work  accom- 
plished by  the  National  Research  Coun- 
cil during  the  war  demonstrated  its 
capacity  for  larger  service,  requested  the 
Academy  to  perpetuate  the  Council,  and 
denned  its  peace  duties  as  follows: 

In  general,  to  stimulate  research  in  the 
mathematical,  physical,  and  biological 
sciences,  and  in  the  application  of  these 
sciences  to  engineering,  agriculture, 
medicine,  and  other  useful  arts,  with  the 
object  of  increasing  knowledge,  of 
strengthening  the  national  defense,  and 
of  contributing  in  other  ways  to  the 
public  welfare. 

To  survey  the  larger  possibilities  of 
science,  to  formulate  comprehensive 
projects  of  research,  and  to  develop 
effective  means  of  utilizing  the  scientific 
and  technical  resources  of  the  country 
for  dealing  with  these  projects. 

To  promote  co-operation  in  research, 
at  home  and  abroad,  in  order  to  secure 
concentration  of  effort,  minimize  dupli- 
cation, and  stimulate  progress;  but  in  all 


co-operative  undertakings  to  give  en- 
couragement to  individual  initiative,  as 
fundamentally  important  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  science. 

To  gather  and  collate  scientific  and 
technical  information  at  home  and 
abroad,  in  co-operation  with  govern- 
mental and  other  agencies,  and  to  render 
such  information  available. 

The  executive  order  also  stated  that 
for  the  purpose  of  assuring  the  cordial 
co-operation  of  the  scientific  and  tech- 
nical branches  of  the  government  the 
President  would  continue  to  appoint 
representatives  on  the  nomination  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  and 
would  arrange  for  the  further  co-opera- 
tion of  the  respective  heads  of  govern- 
ment departments. 

Under  the  democratic  plan  of  organi- 
zation adopted  after  the  Armistice,  the 
National  Research  Council  consists  of 
the  representatives  of  fifty-six  scientific 
and  technical  societies,  together  with 
representatives  of  the  government  and 
certain  members  at  large.  I  wish  that 
space  permitted  me  to  describe  its  num- 
erous activities  since  the  war.  It  is  only 
possible,  however,  to  give  a  few  typical 
illustrations  of  methods  and  results. 
Take,  for  example,  the  work  of  the 
Council  in  promoting  research  in  the 
fields  of  physics  and  chemistry,  which  lie 
at  the  very  foundation  of  science  and  in- 
dustry. Committees  are  formed  of  the 
leading  investigators  of  the  chief  prob- 
lems of  physics.  These  committees  meet 
from  time  to  time  to  compare  methods 
and  results,  and  to  prepare  broad  sur- 
veys of  the  existing  state  of  knowledge 
and  the  most  promising  opportunities  for 
further  research.  Many  of  these  mono- 
graphs have  been  published  by  the 
Council,  thus  rendering  the  committees 
useful  not  merely  in  stimulating  their 
members,  widening  their  outlook,  and 
securing  informal  co-operation,  but  also 
in  placing  the  results  of  their  surveys 
before  other  investigators.  Another 
mode  of  advancing  research  is  illustrated 
by  the  establishment  of  National  Re- 
search Fellowships  in  physics  and  chem- 
istry. The  Rockefeller  Foundation,  rec- 
ognizing the  fundamental  character  of 
these  sciences  and  the  importance  of 
developing  a  large  number  of  students 
competent  to  advance  them  by  research, 


A  NATIONAL  FOCUS  OF  SCIENCE  AND  RESEARCH 


529 


gave  the  council  $100,000  a  year  for  five 
years  to  provide  liberal  fellowships  for 
those  who  have  shown  exceptional 
promise  in  their  ..university  work.  The 
results  of  this  ~  experiment,  which  has 
been  in'  progress  for  three  years,  have 
been  so  satisfactory  that  the  Rockefeller 
Foundation  and  the  General  Education 


These  examples  must  suffice  to  typify 
the  diverse  work  of  the  various  divisions 
of  science  and  technology  of  the  Re- 
search Council,  which  also  include  those 
of  engineering,  chemistry  and  chemical 
technology,  geology  arid  geography, 
medical  sciences,  biology  and  agricul- 
ture, anthropology  and  psychology. 


The  Lincoln  Memorial,  as  seen  from  a  point  near  the  new  building  of  the  National  Academy 
of  Sciences  and  National  Research  Council 


Board  have  just  united  in  a  second  gift 
of  $500,000  to  the  Council,  to  establish 
similar  fellowships  in  medicine.  Still 
another  means  of  helping  investigators 
is  through  assistance  in  securing  loans 
of  scientific  instruments.  TheTDivision 
of  Physical  Sciences,  learning  of  the  un- 
usual resources  of  some  laboratories 
and  the  pressing  needs  of  others,  serves 
with  the  Research  Information  Service 
as  useful  go-between.  Ultimately  the 
Academy  and  Council  will  be  able  to 
lend  many  instruments  from  their  own 
collection,  resulting  from  the  return 
of  apparatus  purchased  by  recipients 
of  grants  from  their  special  research 
funds. 


While  the  cases  cited  and  many  more  re- 
late to  fundamental  problems  of  science, 
others  are  severely  practical,  such  as  the 
fatigue  phenomena  of  metals,  high-speed 
tool  steels,  moulding  sands,  electric  in- 
sulation, fertilizers,  food  and  nutrition, 
forestry,  child  welfare.  The  Council,  in 
co-operation  with  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  many  State  organiza- 
tions, maintains  .a  central  bureau  for 
highways  research,  as  a  clearing-house 
and  means  of  co-ordination  of  the  activ- 
ities of  State  agencies,  which  are  spend- 
ing hundreds  of  millions  for  the  construc- 
tion of  roads.  Another  recent  accom- 
plishment of  the  Council  in  a  different 
field,  due  to  the  energetic  and  effective 


The  Washington  Monument,  as  seen  from  the  Lincoln  Memorial 

The  dome  of  the  Capitol,  in  the  distance,  is  covered  by  the  monument 


service  of  its  Permanent  Secretary, 
Doctor  Vernon  Kellogg,  is  the  provision 
of  large  funds  received  through  the 
Rockefeller  Foundation  for  the  support 
of  the  Concilium  Bibliographicum, 
which  otherwise  would  have  been  forced 
to  suspend  its  valuable  work  of  indexing 
and  abstracting  the  extensive  literature 
of  biology. 

The  Divisions  of  General  Relations  of 
the  Research  Council  supplement  those 
of  science  and  technology.  Thus  the 
Division  of  Federal  Relations  brings  to- 
gether representatives  of  the  scientific 
and  technical  bureaus  of  the  government 
for  the  consideration  of  common  prob- 
lems, and  the  Division  of  States  Rela- 
tions seeks  to  promote  the  scientific  and 
technical  work  organized  under  the 
authority  of  the  various  States.  The 
Division  of  Foreign  Relations  represents 
the  United  States  in  the  International 
Research  Council,  which  was  organized 
soon  after  the  armistice  in  harmony  with 


a  plan  presented  by  the  National  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  at  meetings  held  in 
London  and  Paris  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Royal  Society  and  the  Paris  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences.  The  Division  of  Edu- 
cational Relations  studies  the  conditions 
for  research  in  American  educational  in- 
stitutions and  seeks  means  of  discovering 
and  developing  exceptionally  qualified 
students.  The  Research  Information 
Service  collects  data  needed  by  research 
workers  and  answers  scientific  and  tech- 
nical questions  received  from  any  source. 
A  glance  through  its  files  reveals  the 
great  variety  of  inquiries  received  from 
scientific  investigators,  state  and  govern- 
ment bureaus,  industrial  laboratories, 
students,  private  workers,  and  others. 
If  funds  can  be  obtained  to  develop  the 
Information  Service  adequately,  incal- 
culable assistance  and  great  saving  of 
time  and  expense  can  be  afforded  to  men 
of  science,  the  industries,  and  the  gen- 
eral public. 


530 


Publications  of  the  National  Research  Council 

Bulletin  Series 

Volume  1 

Number  1.  The  national  importance  of  scientific  and  industrial  research.  By 
George  Ellery  Hale  and  others.  October,  1919.  Pages  43.  Price  50  cents. 

Number  2.  Research  laboratories  in  industrial  establishments  of  the  United 
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Price  $1.00.  [Out  of  print.  See  Number  16.] 

Number  3.  Periodical  bibliographies  and  abstracts  for  the  scientific  and  tech- 
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24.  Price  40  cents. 

Number  4.  North  American  forest  research.  Compiled  by  the  Committee  on 
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Pages  146.  Price  $2.00. 

Number  5.  The-  quantum  theory.  By  Edwin  Plimpton  Adams.  October,  1920. 
Pages  81.  Price  $1.00.  [Out  of  print.] 

Number  6.  Data  relating  to  X-ray  spectra.  By  William  Duane.  November, 
1920.  Pages  26.  Price  50  cents. 

Number  7.  Intensity  of  emission  of  X-rays  and  their  reflection  from  crystals. 
By  Bergen  Davis.  Problems  of  X-ray  emission.  By  David  L.  Webster. 
December,  1920.  Pages  47.  Price  60  cents. 

Number  8.  Intellectual  and  educational  status  of  the  medical  profession  as 
represented  in  the  United  States  Army.  By  Margaret  V.  Cobb  and  Robert 
M.  Yerkes.  February,  1921.  Pages  76.  Price  $1.00. 

Volume  2 

Number  9.  Funds  available  in  1920  in  the  United  States  of  America  for  the  en- 
couragement of  scientific  research.  Compiled  by  Callie  Hull.  March,  1921. 
Pages  81.  Price  $1.00. 

Number  10.  Report  on  photo-electricity  including  ionizing  and  radiating  poten- 
tials and  related  effects.  By  Arthur  Llewelyn  Hughes.  April,  1921.  Pages 
87.  Price  $1.00. 

Number  11.  The  scale  of  the  universe.  Part  I  by  Harlow  Shapley.  Part  II  by 
Heber  D.  Curtis.  May,  1921.  Pages  47.  Price  60  cents. 

Number  12.  Cooperative  experiments  upon  the  protein  requirements  for  the 
growth  of  cattle.  First  report  of  the  Subcommittee  on  Protein  Metabolism 
in  Animal  Feeding.  By  Henry  Prentiss  Armsby,  Chairman.  June,  1921. 
Pages  70.  Price  $1.00. 

Number  13.    The  research  activities  of  departments  of  the  State  government  of 
California  in  relation  to  the  movement  for  reorganization.     By  James  R. 
•     Douglas.    June,  1921.     Pages  46.     Price  60  cents. 

Number  14.  A  general  survey  of  the  present  status  of  the  atomic  structure 
problem.  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Atomic  Structure  of  the  National 
Research  Council.  By  David  L.  Webster  and  Leigh  Page.  July,  1921. 
Pages  61.  Price  75  cents. 

Number  15.  A  list  of  seismologic  stations  of  the  world.  Compiled  by  Harry 
O.  Wood.  July,  1921.  Pages  142.  Price  $2.00. 


Volume  3 

Number  16.  Research  laboratories  in  industrial  establishments  of  the  United 
States,  including  consulting  research  laboratories.  Originally  compiled  by 
Alfred  D.  Flinn;  revised  and  enlarged  by  Ruth  Cobb.  December,  1921. 
Pages  135.  Price  $2.00. 

Number  17.  Scientific  papers  presented  before  the  American  Geophysical  Union 
at  its  second  annual  meeting.  March,  1922.  Pages  108.  Price  $1.50. 

Number  18.  Theories  of  magnetism.  By  members  of  the  Committee  on  Theories 
of  Magnetism  of  the  National  Research  Council.  A.  P.  Wills,  S.  J.  Barnett, 
L.  R.  Ingersoll,  J.  Kunz,  S.  L.  Quimby,  E.  M.  Terry,  S.  R  Williams. 
August,  1922.  Pages  261.  Price  $3.00. 

Volume  4 

Number  19.  Celestial  mechanics.  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Celestial 
Mechanics  of  the  National  Research  Council.  E.  W.  Brown.  G.  D.  Birk- 
hoff,  A.  O.  Leuschner,  H.  N.  Russell.  September,  1922.  Pages  22. 
Price  $0.40. 

Number  20.  Secondary  radiations  produced  by  X-rays,  and  some  of  their  applica- 
tions to  physical  problems.  Arthur  H.  Compton.  October,  1922.  Pages  56. 
Price  $1.00. 

Number  21.  Highway  research  in  the  United  States.  Results  of  census  by  Ad- 
visory Board  on  Highway  Research,  Division  of  Engineering,  National 
Research  Council,  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Public  Roads,  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture.  William  Kendrick  Hatt.  October,  1922. 
Pages  102.  Price  $1.50. 

Number  22.    Mechanical    aids    for    the    classification    of   American    investigators, 
with  illustrations  in  the  field  of  psychology.     Harold  C.  Bingham.     Novem- 
ber, 1922.    Pages  50.    Price  75  cents. 
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PUBLICATIONS    DEPARTMENT, 
NATIONAL  RESEARCH  COUNCIL, 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


Reprint  and  Circular  Series 

Number  1.  Report  of  the  Patent  Committee  of  the  National  Research  Council. 
Presented  for  the  Committee  by  L.  H.  Baekeland,  Acting  Chairman. 
February,  1919.  Pages  24.  Price  30  cents. 

Number  2.  Report  of  the  Psychology  Committee  of  the  National  Research 
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March,  1919.  Pages  51.  Price  60  cents.  [Out  of  print] 

Number  3.  Refractory  materials  as  a  field  for  research.  By  Edward  W.  Wash- 
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Number  4.  Industrial  research.  By  Frank  B.  Jewett.  1918.  Pages  16.  Price 
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Number  5.     Some   problems    of    sidereal   astronomy.     By   Henry   Norris    Russell. 

October,  1919.    Pages  26.     Price  30  cents. 
Number  6.    The   development  of   research   in   the   United   States.     By  James 

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terrestrial   radiation.    By   C.   G.   Abbot.     February,    1920.     Pages    15.     Price 

20  cents. 

Number  8.  Science  and  the  industries.  By  John  J.  Carty.  February,  1920. 
Pages  16.  Price  25  cents. 

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Price  50  cents. 

Number  10.  Report  on  the  organization  of  the  International  Astronomical  Union. 
Presented  for  the  American  Section,  International  Astronomical  Union,  by 
W.  W.  Campbell,  Chairman,  and  Joel  Stebbins,  Secretary.  June,  1920. 
Pages  48.  Price  50  cents. 

Number  11.  A  survey  of  research  problems  in  geophysics.  Prepared  by  Chair- 
men of  Sections  of  the  American  Geophysical  Union.  October,  1920. 
Pages  57.  Price  60  cents. 

Number  12.  Doctorates  conferred  in  the  sciences  in  1920  by  American  universi- 
ties. Compiled  by  Callie  Hull.  November,  1920.  Pages  9.  Price  20  cents. 
[Out  of  print.] 

Number  13.  Research  problems  in  colloid  chemistry.  By  Wilder  D.  Bancroft. 
January-April,  1921.  Pages  54.  Price  50  cents.  [Out  of  print.] 

Number  14.    The  relation  of  pure  science  to  industrial  research.     By  John  J. 

Carty.     October,  1916.     Pages  16.     Price  20  cents. 
Number   15.    Researches  on   modern  brisant  nitro   explosives.      By   C.   F.   van 

Duin  and  B.  C.  Roeters  van  Lennep.     Translated  by  Charles  E.  Munroe. 

February,  1920.     Pages  35.     Price  50  cents. 
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Herty.    February,  1921.    Pages  17.    Price  25  cents. 

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Mathews  and  Homer  P.  Little.  April,  1921.  Pages  22.  Price  20  cents. 
[Out  of  print.] 

Number  18.  Industrial  benefits  of  research.  By  Charles  L.  Reese  and  A.  J. 
Wadhams.  February,  1921.  Pages  14.  Price  25  cents. 

Number  19.  The  university  and  research.  By  Vernon  Kellogg.  June,  1921. 
Pages  10.  Price  15  cents. 

Number  20.  Libraries  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Compiled  by  W.  I.  Swan- 
ton  in  cooperation  with  the  Information  Service  of  the  National  Research 
Council  and  Special  Libraries.  June,  1921.  Pages  19.  Price  25  cents. 

Number  21.  Scientific  abstracting.  By  Gordon  S.  Fulcher.  September,  1921. 
Pages  15.  Price  20  cents. 

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metallurgy.  By  Alfred  D.  Flinn.  October,  1921.  Pages  7.  Price  20  cents. 


Number  23.    American  research  chemicals.     By  Clarence  J.  West.     September, 

1921.    Pages  28.    Price  50  cents. 
Number  24.    Organomagnesium  compounds  in  synthetic  chemistry:  a  bibliography 

of  the  Grignard  reaction   1900-1921.    Clarence  J.  West  and  Henry  Oilman. 

January,  1922.    Pages  103.    Price  $1.50. 

Number  25.    A  partial  list  of  the  publications  of  the  National  Research  Council 
to  January  1,  1922.     February,  1922.     Pages  15.     Price  $0.25. 

Number  26.    Doctorates    conferred   in   the   sciences   by   American   universities    in 

1921.  Compiled  by  Gallic  Hull  and  Clarence  J.  West.     March,  1922.     Pages 
20.    Price  $0.20. 

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Number  28.     Investment  in  chemical  education  in  the  United   States,   1920-1921. 

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Number  29.    Distribution   of  graduate  fellowships   and   scholarships  between  the 

arts  and  sciences.     Compiled  by  Gallic  Hull  and  Clarence  J.  West.     April, 

1922.  Pages  5.    Price  $0.15. 

Number  30.    The  first  report  of  the  committee  on  contact  catalysis.     By  Wilder 

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committee.    April-July,   1922.     Pages  43.     Price  $0.50. 
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1922.    Pages  12.    Price  $0.20. 
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Slater.    April,  1922.     Pages  124.     Price  $1.00. 
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Reese.    May,  1922.    Pages  10.    Price  $0.20. 
Number  34.    Indexing    of    scientific    articles.     By    Gordon    S.    Fulcher.    August, 

1922.     Pages  16.    Price  $0.20. 
Number  35.    American  research  chemicals.     First  revision.     By  Clarence  J.  West. 

May,  1922.     Pages  37.     Price  $0.50. 

Number  36.    List  of  manuscript  bibliographies  in  chemistry  and  chemical  tech- 
nology.    By  Clarance  J.  West.     (In  press.) 
Number  37.     Recent   geographical   work   in   Europe.     By   W.   L.    G.   Joerg.    July, 

1922.    Pages  54.    Price  $0.50. 
Number  38.    The    abstracting    and    indexing    of    biological    literature.     By    J.    R. 

Schramm.     (In  press.) 
Number  39.    A  national  focus  of  science  and  research.     By  George  Ellery  Hale. 

(In  press.) 

Orders,  accompanied  by  remittance,  should  be  addressed  to 

PUBLICATIONS    DEPARTMENT, 
NATIONAL  RESEARCH  COUNCIL, 

WASHINGTON.  D.   C. 


A   001217316   7 


The  National  Research  Council 

societies.  .    , 

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Sri  however,  a  close  cooperation  with  government  scientific  bureaus  and 

their  activities. 

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well-being.  -  . 

Research  Fellowships 

The  Council  maintains,  with  the  financial  assistance  of  the  ***** 
Foundation  and  General  Education  Board-to  the  amoun^ one  miUon 
dollars,  to  be  expended  during  a  period  of  five  years-two 
advanced  fellowships. 

^™^££r£^^ 


Washington,  D.  C. 


"THERE  IS  MORE  UNKNOWN  THAN  KNOWN,"  SAYS  THE 
SCIENTIST,  "BUT  THERE  IS  MUCH  KNOWN  THAT  IS  UN- 
KNOWN BY  MANY,"  SAYS  THE  INFORMATION  SERVICE. 


Knowledge  is  often  hidden  and  must  be  sought 
in  strange  places.  Without  a  key  to  the  sources 
of  knowledge,  the  seeker  searches  in  vain. 


RESEARCH 

INFORMATION 
SERVICE 

SPECIALIZES  IN  SOURCES 


Its  aim  is  to  aid  research  workers  everywhere;  to  refer  the 
worker  to  the  source  when  available,  when  not,  to  bring  the 
source  to  the  inquirer  by  letter,  abstract,  or  photostat.  From 
its  vantage  point  of  location  and  organization  it  has  unusual 
access  to  international  as  well  as  national  information. 


Its  aim  is  to  aid.     Its  ambition  is  wider  usefulness. 


THE  RESOURCES  OF  THE  SERVICE  ARE  AT  THE  DISPOSAL 
OF  THOSE  WHO  ARE  INTERESTED  IN  THE  INCREASE  OF 
KNOWLEDGE  AND  THE  FURTHERANCE  OF  RESEARCH  IN 
THE  NATURAL  SCIENCES  AND  THEIR  TECHNOLOGIES. 


RESEARCH  INFORMATION  SERVICE 

NATIONAL  RESEARCH  COUNCIL 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


